Latch.



PATENTED DEC. 1, 1903.

N. ERIGKSON.

LATCH APPLICATION FILED APB. 25,.1908.

N0 MODEL.

. 1 W 7/ Zia (g4 UNITED STATES Patented December 1, 1903.

NELS ERICKSON, OF IIANSKA, MINNESOTA.

LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,720, dated December 1, 1903.

Application filed April 25, 1903. Serial No. 154339. (No model.)

f9 aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that l, NELS ERICKSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of llanska, in the county of Brown and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Door-Latches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in fastenings for doors, and the object is to provide a simple inexpensive fastening which will be effectual in performing the work, is capable of being easily operated, and readily applied to the door.

Vith these objects in view my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view showing my improved fastening applied to a sliding barn-door. Fig. 2 is a detached view in perspective. Fig. 3 is a sec tion through the pivot-bolt and connected parts, and Figs. a and 5 are views of the keeper and fastening-plate, respectively.

A represents the latch-bar, the same being rounded at its outer end 1 and provided with a notch 2 to engage the fastening-plate, and at its other end it is provided with an angular opening 3, adapted to fit the angularportion it of the pivot 5, which latter turns in a hole formed thereforin the door 13. The pivot 5 has a screw-thread 6 at one end and a knuckle 7 at the opposite end, to which latter is pivoted the drop-handle S, the latter arranged to drop down out of the way when released in order to clear the door-casing when the door is slid open, thereby permitting it to slide unobstructed the full distance. A plate 9 is preferably screwed, bolted, or otherwise secured to the outside of the door, and it has a hole 10 therein to receive the screw-threaded end of the bearing, and a nut 11 is turned thereon to hold the parts together.

A tongue-handle 12 is rigidly secured on the opposite side of the latch from the drophandle it being placed on the outside of the door and serving as a means both to raise the latch and slide the door.

A guide-plate 13 is secured at the edge of the door, and this guide-plate is provided with a slot through which the free end of the latch extends and in which it operates, the latch being supported and retained laterally thereby.

A keeper let resembling the guide-plate, except that it has a stepped or shouldered open slot 15, is secured to the door-frame to which the door is to be latched, the special object of the open slot being to provide for the use of the latch with a swinging door as well as with a sliding door, as my improved fastening will accommodate either.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the fastening is simple, easy to manipulate from either side of the door, that it does not obstruct or limit the free and full movement of the door, that it will operate just as Well with a swinging door as a sliding door, and that it can be placed on the market at a reasonable price. hen used with a sliding door, the curved free end of the latch will engage the lower wall of the open slot in keeper 15, upon which it will ride until the notch 2 is brought into correspondence with the open slot, thus permitting the latch to fall and retain the door against endwise movement until the latch is raised, the shoulder 16 preventing any tendency toward lateral movement. lVith a swinging door the action is the same as that usually employed, the latch being lifted over the shoulder 16 and received in the slot, the notch, however, engaging the lower wall of the slot to lock the door.

It is evident that slight changes might be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the severalparts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction herein set forth; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

The combination with a latch-bar having a tain the latch-bar in position and-a drop-han- 1o notch at one end and an opening at the other, dle hinged to one end of the pivot. the bar provided with a rigid handle on one ,In testimony whereof I have signed this side, akeeperand a fastening-plate, of a pivot I specification in the presence of two subscrib- 7 extending through the opening in the latch ing witnesses.

bar, the two being secured together against l NELS ERICKSON. turning with respect to each other, a plate hav- \Vitnesses: ing an opening in which the pivot turns, said I J. H. SMIDT,

A. 0. QUEEN.

plate adapted to be secured to the door to re- 

